Sensory organization of the human thalamus.

A computerized program has been developed for on-line display and tape-library storage of stimulation-mapping data collected during stereotactic procedures. Using computer-generated displays of pooled clinical physiological data it has been possible to map through the upper midbrain and thalamus the lemniscal, spinoquintothalamic, auditory, vestibular, visual, extrapyramidal, and motor pathways, as well as the location of the pia. Each system is recognizable by a stereotyped, artificial, somatotopically organized stimulation-induced response that is devoid of modality information and independent of the site and parameters of stimulation.